Italy · Dolomites & South Tyrol · Premium route guide
Dolomites & Stelvio, 7 days from Bolzano
Seven days, 636 km, eight named passes. The Sella Ronda classics in sequence, the Giau, the 48 hairpins of the Stelvio and the rough, silent shock of the Gavia. The full route on the map, a GPX you can drop into your GPS, and the motorcycle-friendly stays riders have already vetted along the way.
- Distance
- 635.5 km
- Peak elevation
- 2,752 m
- Elevation gain
- 12,722 m
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
The route
This is a self-contained loop, not a tour from Greece: you base yourself in Bolzano, ride seven days and come back. Day by day it strings together the greatest hits of the Dolomites, the Sella Ronda (Pordoi, Sella, Gardena), Falzarego and Giau, Cortina, and then crosses west to the Stelvio, Bormio and the Gavia before returning through the Adige valley.
Suggested by StayToRide member Giannis Tkd. We already have a standalone page for the Stelvio Pass itself; this is the full week that puts it in context, at distances short enough that you can stop for every photo you want.
8 verified stays within 30 km of the route. Click a stay pin to see details. Know one that should be here?
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~237 m at the base to 2,752 m at the top, 12,722 m of total climbing across the route.
Days 1-2: Bolzano over the Costalunga to Canazei, then the Sella Ronda. Pordoi, Sella and Gardena in one continuous circuit around the Sella massif, with Corvara as the overnight. Distances are tiny by touring standards; the vertical is not.
Days 3-4: Falzarego and Giau to Cortina d'Ampezzo. The Giau is the connoisseur's pass, quiet, perfectly surfaced and photogenic to the point of distraction. From Cortina the route swings north through Toblach and Brunico, then west into the Adige valley to Merano.
Days 5-7: Merano to the Stelvio and home. The north ramp of the Stelvio, 48 numbered hairpins, is the pilgrimage. Bormio for the night, then the Gavia on day 6: narrow, damp in the tunnels and utterly magnificent, down to Ponte di Legno. Day 7 returns through the valley to Bolzano with the passes behind you.
The road, honestly
The Sella Ronda passes are perfect tarmac and, in July and August, genuinely crowded. Ride them before 09:00 or after 17:00 and you will have a different road. The Gavia is the opposite: narrow, patched, dark tunnels without lights and no guardrails in places. It is not difficult, but it demands respect and dry weather.
Distances are short and hotels are used to bikes. This is the easiest of our multi-day tours logistically and the most demanding on your camera roll.
When to go
June to September. The Stelvio and Gavia are closed outside the season, and even in June you can find snow walls at the top. September weekdays are the ideal window: open passes, thinning traffic and the larches starting to turn.
Fuel, food and sleep
Fuel every 50-80 km at most, though stations on the high passes are rare, so top up in the valleys. Bolzano, Corvara, Cortina, Merano and Bormio all have biker-friendly stays in our directory. South Tyrol is trilingual in practice (Italian, German, Ladin) and the food swings between dumplings and espresso accordingly.
What to see along the way
- Stelvio Pass - 2,757 m and 48 numbered hairpins on the north ramp. The pilgrimage every rider makes once.
- Passo Gavia - The rough, quiet counterpoint to the Stelvio: narrow road, dark tunnels, huge scenery.
- Sella Ronda - Four passes around the Sella massif in one day: Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Campolongo.
- Passo Giau - The most beautiful single pass in the Dolomites, and the quietest of the famous ones.
- Cortina d'Ampezzo - Olympic town and the natural base for the eastern Dolomites days.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Dolomites & Stelvio, 7 days from Bolzano
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Bolzano - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
Rentals powered by BikesBooking. StayToRide may earn a small commission - no extra cost to you.
Verified stays within 30 km
Automatically selected by proximity to the traced route, no editorial cherry-picking. Sorted by how close they are to the road.
Ridden this road and stayed somewhere great?
This whole directory grows one rider recommendation at a time. Add a stay and it will appear on this guide automatically if it is within 30 km of the route.
Suggest a stay